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Darlingtonia Self-watering System + Temp Questions
- Thread starter Natalie
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Natalie, nice setup! I was gonna say make sure to cover that clear tubing to prevent algae growth but then read on 
You might want to use white electrical tape instead of the duct tape as it should be more durable in the long run (it's made from PVC rather than cloth).
Let me know how that pump works out, we're always looking for an INEXPENSIVE solar pump setup that lasts a while (the one we carry retails for about $400!
). If you ever want some help with a prefilter come on down to where I work in Mill Valley (The Urban Farmer Store). Special discount for TF members!
You might want to use white electrical tape instead of the duct tape as it should be more durable in the long run (it's made from PVC rather than cloth).Let me know how that pump works out, we're always looking for an INEXPENSIVE solar pump setup that lasts a while (the one we carry retails for about $400!
). If you ever want some help with a prefilter come on down to where I work in Mill Valley (The Urban Farmer Store). Special discount for TF members!
Not a Number - Yep, that's the part I'm having trouble with, is keeping the roots cool. We are having some warmer days right now (afternoon temps in the 90s), and the reservoir just doesn't hold enough water to not heat up during the day. Yesterday was even hotter during the day (almost 100 here), and I was out of town so I couldn't monitor the root temperatures. I am positive they got above 81 degrees, but they also would have been flushed with water constantly. Today at around 11:00 am I noticed that the thermometer I have in the roots was reading 80 degrees, so I put five large ice cubes into the reservoir, but now less than an hour later, the root temperatures are back up to 80 (they had gotten down to the low 70s when the ice was melting). Unless I hire someone to put several ice cubes in every hour, I think I'm just going to have to allow the root temps climb and let the plant duke it out for itself... I think the constantly flowing water will help with that. The fact that one of those videos showed plants growing in 86 degree soil helped calm my nerves a bit, but I am still a tad worried.
Rob - Awesome! Be sure to post some photos when the whole thing is up and running smoothly.
Brian - Thanks for the tip! I'm probably going to have to do that when the duct tape starts deteriorating. My solar pump was definitely inexpensive, but it's also not very powerful (it's made for bird baths) and I'm not sure how reliable it is. When I went outside this morning, the sun was blazing but only a few drops were trickling from the fountain head. I opened up the pump to see if there was anything clogging it (there wasn't), put it back together and it still wasn't working. I felt around and found that one of the plastic pieces suddenly decided not to fit well anymore, which was letting water escape from the side of the filter and diminish its power. So then I took that off and put it in a different position, which seems to be wrong judging by the alignment of the holes but somehow fits better (sealing off the leak), and now it works again. Weird little thing.
Rob - Awesome! Be sure to post some photos when the whole thing is up and running smoothly.
Brian - Thanks for the tip! I'm probably going to have to do that when the duct tape starts deteriorating. My solar pump was definitely inexpensive, but it's also not very powerful (it's made for bird baths) and I'm not sure how reliable it is. When I went outside this morning, the sun was blazing but only a few drops were trickling from the fountain head. I opened up the pump to see if there was anything clogging it (there wasn't), put it back together and it still wasn't working. I felt around and found that one of the plastic pieces suddenly decided not to fit well anymore, which was letting water escape from the side of the filter and diminish its power. So then I took that off and put it in a different position, which seems to be wrong judging by the alignment of the holes but somehow fits better (sealing off the leak), and now it works again. Weird little thing.
Make sure as much of the pot is shaded or not exposed to direct sunlight to help keep the temperatures down.
Or
You can try a zeer - an African pot-in-pot evaporative cooling refrigerator.
Basically place your existing pot in a much larger porous unglazed ceramic/terracotta pot and fill the space between the pots with sand. Wet the sand and as the water evaporates it will cool the inner pot. As well it increases the thermal mass of the system taking longer for the inner pot to warm up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot-in-pot_refrigerator
http://www.scidev.net/en/features/refrigeration-the-african-way.html
Or
You can try a zeer - an African pot-in-pot evaporative cooling refrigerator.
Basically place your existing pot in a much larger porous unglazed ceramic/terracotta pot and fill the space between the pots with sand. Wet the sand and as the water evaporates it will cool the inner pot. As well it increases the thermal mass of the system taking longer for the inner pot to warm up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot-in-pot_refrigerator
http://www.scidev.net/en/features/refrigeration-the-african-way.html
I live in San Diego and I just have a pond bog with a large reservior of water below. It is not moving....maybe I should add an air stone, however. The plants are growing in morning sun. in a loose peat mix with live sphagnum on top. The plants are producing runners, which I assume means they like it. D. rotundifolia does spectacularly in there! Just the first year though, I have three clones both mountain and costal. I'm thinking they like it. I keep the soil moist not waterlogged. I just keep it wet enough so the sphagnum grows.
Can't wait till spring!
Can't wait till spring!
it shouldn't... use a fine screen filter (I'd say filter fabric, but an old nylon stocking of some sort would work too) on the outlet of the outer pot going back to your pump, then add sand in your outer pot. The water will trickle through the sand no problem, and the filter (or stocking :grin: ) will keep the sand from trickling into your pump!
I might give that a try if my plant doesn't croak from the heat. When I got home earlier, I went out to check the temperature of the plant, and it said 90 degrees. I put five more big ice cubes into the reservoir, which then cooled the plant down to 86 degrees for about 10 minutes, after which the temperature began to climb back up. Once the sun sets and the sea breeze kicks in, the temperature drops pretty quickly, so the plant is only exposed to such high temperatures for a few hours at most on the hottest days. Despite the high temperatures today and yesterday, the plant still looks fine. Would it take a couple weeks for heat damage to become visible? I was under the impression the plant would just sort of wilt and die suddenly, but mine looks as happy as the day I got it.
Here's a shot of it after its second day of excruciating heat. Also, the temperature on the thermometer isn't exactly correct. Since I normally have the entire thermometer buried in the substrate, that's the temperature from the bottom of the pot where it's still quite warm. The first couple of inches of substrate (where most of the plant's roots are, presumably) are 60-65 degrees and cooling off quickly. Also, some areas of the LFS are turning green... Is that it coming back to life or is it just cyanobacteria colonizing the moss or something?
Actually, comparing this photo to the ones I posted in my first thread (this one), some of the newer pitchers look like they've gotten a lot bigger... Yay, it's growing!
Here's a shot of it after its second day of excruciating heat. Also, the temperature on the thermometer isn't exactly correct. Since I normally have the entire thermometer buried in the substrate, that's the temperature from the bottom of the pot where it's still quite warm. The first couple of inches of substrate (where most of the plant's roots are, presumably) are 60-65 degrees and cooling off quickly. Also, some areas of the LFS are turning green... Is that it coming back to life or is it just cyanobacteria colonizing the moss or something?
Actually, comparing this photo to the ones I posted in my first thread (this one), some of the newer pitchers look like they've gotten a lot bigger... Yay, it's growing!
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